
Chandigarh: A day after a court in Fazilka
summoned Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly
Sukhpal Singh Khaira, the clamour for his resignation grew
today with both the ruling Congress and the opposition Akalis
questioning the Aam Aadmi Party leader's continuation in the
post.
However, Khaira hit back reminding both the parties that
their leaders -- Amarinder Singh, Parkash Singh Badal and
Sukhbir Singh Badal -- never resigned from their positions
despite being summoned and charge-sheeted in corruption cases
in the past.
A court in Fazilka sentenced nine people to imprisonment
yesterday in a trans-border heroin smuggling racket, which
surfaced in 2015, and summoned Khaira on November 30.
Asking Khaira to step down immediately, Punjab Congress
president Sunil Jakhar said the AAP leader has lost the moral
right to continue in the post of the opposition leader in the
Assembly after "serious charges" were levelled against him,
and called for his immediate ouster from all political and
statutory posts.
Recalling Khaira's previous attempts to corner the state
government on drugs issue, the Gurdaspur MP said it exposed
the "double-standards" of the party led by Arvind Kejriwal.
Joining the chorus, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) said
the face of the AAP had become the face of drugs in Punjab and
wondered if Arvind Kejriwal, who is also the Delhi chief
minister, would walk the talk and expel him from the party.
Senior SAD leader Maheshinder Singh Grewal demanded
apology from Kejriwal to the people of Punjab for appointing
Khaira as the Leader of the Opposition.
Meanwhile, Khaira chided Congress and Akali leaders
seeking his resignation for "merely being summoned by a
Fazilka court".
He reminded the Badals that when the father-son duo took
oath as chief minister and deputy chief minister in 2007, they
were not only summoned by the court, but also charge-sheeted
in a disproportionate assets case.
Similarly even now Sukhbir is facing trial in an attempt
to murder case when he beat up a photographer of Kotkapura in
a court, Khaira added, daring the junior Badal to resign as
the SAD president before seeking his resignation.
Similarly, he said, Amarinder Singh has also been
summoned and is facing trial in two corruption cases involving
Ludhiana City Centre and Amritsar Improvement Trust.
"Will the Congress leaders advising me, ask Captain
Amarinder Singh to resign as chief minister," he said.
Khaira said that in case both Amarinder Singh and Sukhbir
Singh Badal offered to resign from their positions to uphold
ethics and morality in politics, he would follow suit.